


Melodies of Love

by magnesiumflamingo



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Love at First Sight, M/M, Markus simps, Pining, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-03
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:22:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27861477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnesiumflamingo/pseuds/magnesiumflamingo
Summary: It was hard for Markus to phrase his admission of love for Connor in words and so he chooses music instead. He plays for Connor, hoping he would understand its personal message... Connor doesn't.AKA - the five times markus tries to admit his love but it backfires, and the one time connor understands
Relationships: Connor/Markus (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 21
Kudos: 33





	1. Piano

**Author's Note:**

> not me rewatching dbh two years later and having this idea

Playing the piano came to him as easy as breathing. The notes made sense to Markus and he could order them however he pleased.

He liked how personal he could make the music.

It spoke.

It allowed him to externalise every moment. 

He hoped Connor would understand the meaning behind the sounds. The connection they shared. Their friendship- maybe something more?

And he had offered to play to him in private to eliminate the surrounding sounds of the crowd. Only the music could be heard.

He could share his most private, personal thoughts with the only person he believed to understand. Markus felt like the music was the best way of sharing this, rather than androids merely interfacing with each other. Music held far more power.

He focused on the keys, rather than looking up to gauge Connor's reaction, no matter how much he wanted to know whether Connor was enjoying the piece.

Markus poured passion into this segment. It described how he felt about Connor.

Words could not describe...

In fact, he doubted whether music could describe his feelings.

The piece ended with a powerful finish, and he knew the piece had the full potential to make a grown man cry. Previously he had played a section of the piece in front of Carl, and it had that exact reaction.

Yet, the full melody was for Connor's ears only.

Markus waited a moment before he finally dared receive Connor's response. He looked up to see Connor giving a courteous nod and a slight smile.

"Did you like it?"

"Yes. It was very beautiful. But, do you take requests?"

Markus narrowed his eyes slightly, and then they lit up. He liked it so much he wanted him to play more?

He tried to play it cool. "Yeah, sure."

"Do you know thank u, next by Ariana Grande?"

Markus' mouth fell open. Oh, he meant... not his music. He meant some generic 21st century pop artist's?

A song about break-ups?

Markus gritted his teeth together, picking up and that habit from the humans he worked with on securing android rights despite clearly being against such an idea, and replied, "No, I don't know it."

"What about any Taylor Swift?"

Markus would have audibly sighed if he was human.

"I don't know any of those either."

"Uh, how about-"

"-How about I play you an actually meaningful song? Not some average ex-hit that nobody cares about anymore?" Markus said sharply, losing his patience. 

He really shouldn't have, and already regretted saying it. But, seriously, two break-up songs? He didn't want to spot a theme with the third. He hadn't even asked him on a date yet.

"I like those songs," Connor simply stated. "They were on some of Hank's old albums that he insisted he never listened to."

"Well, I- I just don't think they're very... personal," Markus responded, rubbing the back of his neck, flustered. "Not personal to me."

Connor replied with a small nod.

Markus added, "So, uh, can you tell me anything more you thought about the first piece?"

Connor's LED circled yellow for a moment while he thought. "It reminded me of when we met."

Immediately, Markus sat up straight. Did he hear him right?

He also said it was beautiful.

Markus gave him a eager nod to continue.

"At Jericho... then at the Church. When I spoke to North for the first time. She did not trust me, hence the rocky start. And then how our friendship developed, and now she is one of my closest friends."

North. Friendship.

"You need to leave."

Connor tilted his head slightly. "Oh. OK."

He stood up to leave, before adding, "Do you know if North's free?"

Markus hated everything right now. He shrugged and left before Connor even left.

It seemed like he was giving up the piano.


	2. Art

With each brush stroke gliding across the canvas, every one simultaneously intentional and by fault, Markus felt his image coming together.

It was a means he was very comfortable expressing in. Granted it wasn't a very direct way of conveying your message to other people since the very meaning of the piece he couldn't even explain, but that was exactly the point: to convey the unspoken.

Perhaps unspoken because no words could explain the concepts, or because it is not dared to be said.

And his feelings for Connor still went unspoken. Maybe art was a better way to tell him.

The art depicted the scene where they met at Jericho. Except instead of the dull rust of the ship, it was bright.

The moment where Connor deviated.

And the moment where Markus fell in love.

One last brush stroke and it was finished.

Nevertheless, he always wanted to add to its finished state. There was always more to be said. More than the width of the canvas could fit within its frames.

Markus invited Connor over to look at it shortly after it was glazed and finalised.

"What do you think? You like it?"

Connor quirked his head to the side ever so slightly. His eyes focusing on the piece.

"It's us."

"Yeah..." He was hoping for a little more than that.

"At Jericho."

Well, at least it was something more...

"But do you like it?" Markus asked, eyebrows furrowed and his entire being filled with the worst kind of anxiety.

"I don't know much about art past my quick searches on it but it seems like it would be a satisfying composition for many people and the colour palette you used is very eye-catching."

"Does it make you feel anything though?"

Connor nodded. "I suppose it makes me remember the first time I was awarded true autonomy and where I realised I was capable of making decisions for myself beyond the control of Cyberlife. Though I feel I could just revisit those memories stored in my head for a more accurate reminder. You have chosen the wrong colours for the ship."

"That's the point-"

"It was more like a dull colour palette. And you've picked warm and bright colours."

"It's based on the feeling I... felt when I first met you. Those colours represent my reality."

"But the reality of Jericho was a lot more dark and rusty because it was a disused ship-"

"No, my art style isn't based in realism-"

"I'd like to see one that is. I like this one but I think I would prefer one that better reflects that memory. We are standing too close together and I don't have a gun on you. And you are holding- what? A flower by your side. That is completely fabricated."

"But it's about my feelings not what actions went on between us."

"Oh..." Wait was he finally going to get it? And then, "I don't see it. I'm not sure you should use it in your art gallery show because it could be very confusing for your audience."

Markus felt his metaphorical heart breaking in two.

"Connor, maybe you just need to look closer-"

"I'm a detective. I look at everything close enough. But thank you for showing me your art. I like it even though I don't get it. I suppose the point of art is that you don't get it sometimes and only the artist knows the meaning behind it."

"I could tell you the meaning behind it?" Markus pleaded, hoping he could finally summon the courage to.

"Thank you for the offer but maybe some other time? I've got to head over to Hank's because I said I would walk Sumo."

Markus watched Connor walk away, and he would have cried if he had the capacity to.


	3. A Poem

So Connor clearly had difficulties perceiving Markus' messages in music and art but maybe the written word would be the way forward instead. After all, he could take in written case facts and write reports up for the DPD with little effort so he could definitely process that information and be able to convey the meaning behind it.

Markus didn't quite know what format was preferable. But while he started with a letter, the words just didn't seem to come out as he wanted them to. So after scrapping all his work so far - a pile of paper in the trash - he retrieved a plain piece of paper and settled on writing a poem.

With beautiful calligraphy, flawless by android design, he began crafting the perfect admission of love.

He began,

_Connor:  
I believe I deviated twice:  
The first time and then a second time when we met. _

He continued with a moment's thought of how to continue but at least the words flowed far easier than a letter,

_I believe my deviancy was a process.  
Until we first met, I didn't truly know what it was to deviate.  
I believed it to be pain and anger,  
Until our meeting upon that abandoned freight. _

He wrote more, almost smiling to himself at the warm feeling he felt inside, 

_You stumbled into my life,  
And then that hatred of the world began to dissipate,  
Replaced with love and hope,  
With meeting the most beautiful soul seemingly fate. _

But to describe with android anatomy didn't seem enough - Markus' deviancy was more than his biology:

_And when you're around me,  
My thirium pump beats like a fast heart rate.  
And I can't focus on anything else,  
Because when you're around me, my pupils dilate. _

Continuing for a few verses after, he considered asking whether he reciprocates those feelings.

But he didn't want to put Connor in a pressured situation. For now, he just wanted to put his feelings for him out there into the world. Obviously he wanted a good answer back but just letting him know had to be enough for the meantime.

Markus signed his name, putting a few kisses under it before putting it in an envelope, and went to deliver it to Connor himself. He believed Connor was still living at Lieutenant Anderson's house.

He knocked on the door and tried to hide his disappointment when Anderson answered it, hoping to get the letter to Connor as soon as possible.  
"Hi, is Connor in?"

The Lieutenant shook his head; Markus' disappointment becoming increasingly invisible.

"He's out running errands," Anderson added, and then spotted the letter. "What've you got there?"

"Just something for Connor to read."

"You want me to pass it along-"

"No," Markus interrupted a little rudely and then he tried to correct his tone. He wanted to give it to Connor in person to be able to judge what Connor was probably thinking. "I just think it's something I need to talk to him about myself."

"He'll probably be back soon if you want to wait."

Markus agreed to the kind offer, though the Lieutenant always seemed to make him nervous. Maybe because he was the main person in Connor's life and he had to make a good impression given how protective he was.

Anderson made small talk for a short time, until blurting out a question that made Markus immediately uncomfortable, "That letter anything to do with how you feel about Connor?"

"What?" Markus asked, acting oblivious.

Anderson laughed. "Doesn't take a genius to figure it out. Though clearly it does take a detective. State of the art programming my ass."

Markus didn't know how to feel about Anderson knowing but that didn't matter because he had probably hinted to Connor about the truth at least. "Does he know...? How I feel?"

Hank laughed again. "Not a chance in hell. I don't think that kid could work that out in a million years even if you thrust all possible evidence in front of that goofy face of his."

"Oh," he said, quietly. Markus felt heavy suddenly - a deep contrast to how he felt when writing Connor's poem.

"Now I'm not saying that I like you or that I want that for Connor given I don't know you and you were a fucking pain in my ass not so long ago but I'll give you a piece of advice: be as direct as you can be, alright?"

Markus gave a small nod, and looked at the envelope in his hand. "I think this is pretty direct."

Hearing the keys in the door, Anderson sighed before getting up off the sofa, "Alright, I'll leave you kids to it. And I'll give you _the_ threatening talk-- if you hurt him I'll end you, yadda-yadda - when I've drank less."

Markus didn't look forward to that and turned to Connor with a smile when Anderson left.

"Markus? What are you doing here?"

"I have something for you."

He handed him the envelope and Connor scanned it briefly before opening it. He read it in a few seconds with his high processing capacity.  
"I believe you may be dysfunctioning if your thirium pump feels like that. I recommend that you get it analysed."

"No, it's a metaphor-"

"Also I don't believe an android can deviate twice. For it is to deviate from your original programming so it is a binary of deviating and not deviating."

"No, what I'm saying is that I understood what deviancy is far more from meeting you."

"I suppose I feel the same," Connor replied, making Markus feel that beat in his thirium pump. "Primarily because you are the reason I deviated and you initiated that process. I am thankful for that and I appreciate the sentiment of the poem." 

Markus swore he heard Anderson laugh in the other room as Connor put the poem down on the coffee table. He stared deep in thought at the discarded letter, unable to comprehend how he still wasn't able to get his message across. Why was he capable of leading an entire revolution but wasn't capable of looking Connor in the eyes and saying how much he loved him?

Connor tilted his head, asking politely after a lengthy moment, "I'm sorry, is there anything else I can help you with?"

Markus shook his head. "No... That's, uh... That's everything. Thank you." He gave a nod before he left without a goodbye despite Connor saying it, and he went home regretting a lot of things, the lack of a goodbye included.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do americans put kisses like xxxxxx on their letters i've honestly no idea so I hope it didn't confuse anyone haahah but thank you for reading!!


End file.
